The Mind's Eye
by Constable Paperbag
Summary: Of all the semblances Jaune could have had, he never expected mind reading to be one of them. Not that he was complaining, as his newfound ability had just made his life a whole lot more easier. But all power has a cost. And some places are better left unexplored...
1. Chapter 1

***Thunder and lightning noises***

 **Good evening one and all. I am Constable Paperbag, and I wish you all a very merry October. What say we give the month the attention it deserves, unlike most shops that are already starting to sell Christmas calendars.**

 **With Halloween on the horizon, I thought it'd be best to celebrate with a two-shot horror story, involving our favourite noodle discovering his semblance as a mind reader.**

 **I've read a lot of stories where writers have Jaune's semblance be mind reading. Thing is though, most of the stories I've read have him use it only to pick up girls. Whilst this is all well and good, I thought I'd write my own spin on things, as I feel there's so much more you can do with the concept. And so I bring you this - The Mind's Eye.**

 **Special thanks to Exvnir for doing the cover art for me. Go check out his stuff on Deviantart if you haven't already. Without further ado, enjoy:**

* * *

 **Part One - The High...**

* * *

The hardest part about Mondays was waking up to them.

That said, Jaune always was a bit of a morning person. He stretched his limbs and surveyed his dorm room. He and Ren seemed to be the only ones in it. Pyrrha was undoubtedly doing her morning jog that she always did, and Nora was in the shower, judging from the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

Poor Ren was still fast asleep. The eastern boy was always the last to wake up, and it seemed the duty of waking him befell on Jaune. He hated disturbing someone's sleep, but he had no choice. Ren would sleep through the end of the world if he was given the chance.

"Rise and shine, Ren," he said softly, gently nudging the boy. "Come on, we gotta get up. We have Grimm studies in thirty minutes. You can sleep during Port's rambling."

"Mmm, I'm awake, I'm awake," the boy mumbled, swatting Jaune's hand away. "Just give me a minute."

"Fine, but if I catch you dozing off again, I'll send Nora on you," he chuckled. The threat went over his head, as he just turned onto his side with his back to him. Jaune left him to it, heading to his drawer to grab his stuff.

" _I don't know how he looks so fresh at this time of day,"_ he heard Ren mumble. " _Mornings were designed to be slept through."_

"I dunno about fresh," Jaune laughed. "I'm still feeling pretty out of it right now. Can't imagine I'll be any better as the day goes on." He took a moment to quickly inspect himself in the mirror. Huh, maybe Ren had a point. He could probably rock the 'bed hair' look if he tried hard enough.

"Are you talking to me, Jaune?" Ren asked, still lying on his side with his face away from him. It looked like he hadn't even attempted trying to get out of bed yet. He was probably gonna have to drag him out.

"Who else, man? You're the only one here." He gestured to the empty room. "Besides, I was just responding to what you said."

"But I didn't say anything."

Jaune blinked in surprise. "Sure you did," he said, slightly confused. "You said something two seconds ago." This was probably Ren's grogginess talking. He never made much sense when he was half-asleep.

"Uh, no I didn't."

" _See, this is what I'm talking about. Waking up at this hour makes people crazy."_

"I'm not crazy, Ren," Jaune huffed. "If anything, you're the one acting weird right now."

"I never said you were crazy."

"Are you kidding me!? You literally said it just now!" What the hell was going on? It wasn't like Ren to act this way. He might have misheard him, maybe, but he had definitely heard Ren say something.

"Jaune, I'm telling you, I didn't say anything." He sat up and turned to face Jaune. "Seriously, what's gotten into you?"

The look on his face showed that he wasn't lying. Ren was just as confused as he was. Maybe he hadn't said anything and he had just imagined it? But it had sounded so real, so clear. His voice sounded no different to him speaking now.

"I… I don't know," he pondered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. Guess I'm not as awake as what I thought."

"It's okay, Jaune," Ren mumbled.

" _Hopefully this won't happen again today."_

Jaune's eyes went as wide as saucers. Okay, he _definitely_ hadn't imagined that. He hadn't even opened his mouth, yet Ren's voice was as clear as day.

"How did you do that?" he gasped.

"Do what?"

"You spoke without moving your lips just now." He wasn't crazy, he wasn't! "Come on, tell me. How are you doing this!?"

"Jaune, I don't know what you're talking about."

" _He's lost his mind_."

"There it is again. Your speaking, I can hear you!" Was his teammate a ventriloquist or something? That was the only explanation as to how he was able to talk like that. He wasn't crazy and he never would be!

"Alright then, what did I say?" Ren asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Or rather, what did you think I said?"

"You said I've lost mind. I know I'm not imaging things!" How could he mishear someone who was sitting right next to him?

Ren's groggy eyes widened slightly. "I didn't say that, Jaune." he said softly.

"Damn it, yes you did!"

"No, listen to me for a minute. I didn't say that you've lost your mind… but I did think it."

He thought it? What the hell was that supposed to mean? And he had said it, he heard him say it just now. Granted, he didn't know _how_ he had said it, but he had said it nonetheless.

"What are you trying to say?" Was Ren trying to test him somehow? It certainly felt like it, but he couldn't imagine why he would want to.

"What I'm saying is I only _thought_ that you were going crazy. I only said it in my head, not out loud."

What? But… he did say it out loud. He heard him. How was that possible if he only thought about it? Ren looked to be wide awake now. His expression was dead serious and locked on Jaune. Hopefully, he was understanding this better than he was.

"What am I thinking now?" He said suddenly, startling Jaune a bit.

"W-What?"

"Tell me what I'm thinking now." His tone was sharp and authoritative. "Go on, tell me."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Because if you can do what I think you can do, then it should be no problem. So then, tell me what I'm thinking."

Jaune's head was spinning. Tell him what he was thinking? He couldn't do that, not unless he read his mind or something-

Wait… read his mind? Was that…

No, no, that couldn't be what was going on here. There was no way Ren was suggesting something like that. He wasn't a mind reader. He couldn't read minds before and he certainly couldn't do it now. Hell, _how_ was he even able to do it now? It's not like he was trying to!

Still… it would explain how he was able to hear Ren speak, even when he hadn't moved his mouth. And how he was able to know that Ren thought he was crazy. Well, maybe he was and this was some kind of hallucination, but it felt real enough.

Maybe it was worth giving it a go?

"O-Okay, I'll try," he said slowly, concentrating on Ren. He didn't really know what he was doing. He wasn't sure how he was able to hear him before, so he didn't know how he was supposed to now. It wasn't like people had a speaker in their head that he could just mentally turn on.

Although come to think of it, that might actually work…

Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with Ren and thought about pushing a button that would make his thoughts play. It seemed silly, but it was worth a shot. And hey, if it didn't work, then maybe-

" _One of these days, I will return to Kuroyuri!"_

Jaune gasped at the sudden sound of his voice. Ren's mouth hadn't moved an inch, yet the words came out loud and clear. Ren's face lit up at the sight of Jaune's expression and he leaned in closer.

"What did I say?" he hastily asked. "Repeat what I said, word for word."

"One of these days, I will return to Kuroyuri," he whispered. Those were the only words he heard, so they must have been the right ones.

It seemed like they were, as Ren nodded with a smile beginning to grow on his face. "Yes, that's right. That's exactly right. My word, I don't know what to say."

"Oh my God, what's happening to me?" His hands were trembling as he brought them to his head. He saw nothing amusing about the situation he was in. He was hearing people's freaking thoughts. Why was this happening to him? This wasn't something to celebrate, this was bloody terrifying!

" _Oh dear, he's panicking. I must do something."_

"Jaune, everything's okay, just breath," Ren said, coming down to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I need you to calm yourself if you're gonna listen to me, Jaune. Can you do that? Can you take a deep breath for me?"

How was breathing gonna help at a time like this? He wouldn't be saying that if this was happening to him. Oh God, his heart wouldn't stop pounding. It felt like he was gonna collapse. He was already beginning to feel lightheaded.

" _Would you rather I spoke to you like this?"_

"No, not like that!" he nearly shouted. Okay, fine, he would breathe. Whatever got him to stop speaking in his head.

He sucked in a lungful of air and exhaled. At first, he was breathing to quickly, but he eventually managed to control his breathing. He felt his heart slow down and his body relaxing again. His mind was still reeling from the whole experience, but he at least felt like he had a better grasp on himself.

"Now listen to me, Jaune. I know things might seem scary now, but trust me when I say that this is a very exciting time."

"It doesn't feel exciting," he mumbled. He felt like he had gone mad.

"Probably not right now," he agreed gently. "Having power suddenly thrown at you is a little shocking at first, but I think you'll change how you feel about it soon enough. Especially when you start getting the hang of it."

Before he could respond, Pyrrha walked through the door, looking a little worn out from her jog. Her face was a little sweaty and she had a small towel draped over her shoulder.

"Morning guys, I-" she stopped and looked at the position the two boys were in. A blush started to form on her face. "Um… am I interrupting something?"

Ren chuckled slightly at her embarrassment. "On the contrary, you're just in time to hear the good news."

"Good news? Is Port's lesson cancelled today?"

"Even better-" He paused for a moment. "Well, _mostly_ better. And it involves Jaune over here." He lightly patted him on the back when saying it. "It seems our leader just unlocked his semblance."

[/]

Mind reading… his semblance was mind reading.

It felt like such an odd thing to associate him with. Wasn't a semblance meant to be part of one's character or something? How did mind reading fit into his personality? There was probably some deep reason as to why, but he didn't want to overthink it.

Regardless, the reception he got for discovering his semblance was… warm, to say the least. Pyrrha had immediately hugged him, saying that she was so proud of him. That felt really nice. Nora had hugged him too, but she hugged him so hard that he thought he was gonna spit out his spine. It still felt nice though, in its own crippling way.

Team RWBY was just as positive; with Ruby instantly rushing up to him and asking him what it was, Yang giving him a hi-five and Blake nodding her approval. Weiss had said it was about time he discovered it but still congratulated him regardless.

They were all sitting in the canteen, with Jaune being the main source of entertainment for the day.

"Ooh, what am I thinking of now?" Ruby asked him, buzzing in her chair from excitement. "Come on, tell me, tell me!"

He rolled his eyes in amusement and concentrated on Ruby. He was starting to get a little better with his semblance, though he still heard the occasional thought by accident. It was no longer as daunting as what it had been initially, but it was still a little creepy to hear people's inner thoughts.

 _An image of cookies flashed before his eyes. They were raining from the sky, crashing to the ground with a chocolatey thud. There was so many that he couldn't even count them all. He could feel his sweet tooth tingling at the sight of them all._

"You're thinking of cookies, of course," he chuckled. Was there anything else she thought about, other than her weapon?

She squeed with joy. "Ahh, that's so cool!" Honestly, it was amazing how easily impressed she was.

"Come on, Rubes, he doesn't need to read your mind to know that," Yang laughed. "Hell, I could've told you that."

"Aww, but it's so much cooler when he does it," she giggled. "It's like he's a wizard or something."

"Please, my semblance isn't that impressive," he said with an eye-roll. "You're the one with the super-speed and all."

"Don't be silly, of course it's impressive," she beamed. "I bet you can do all kinds of cool stuff with it. Now all that's left is for Ren to discover his."

"Um, actually I already-"

"How did you discover it, anyway?" Blake asked, eyeing him curiously.

He shrugged. "I wish I could tell you," he said. "But it was honestly just pure luck. I was just getting ready for today when I suddenly started reading Ren's mind. I didn't even try to, it just sorta happened."

"Interesting," she murmured. "It's not unusual for someone to discover it by accident. But at such a late age…"

"Well, it wasn't too long ago that I had my aura unlocked," he said. "Maybe that had something to do with it?"

"Maybe," she nodded. "Well, you've discovered it now, so good for you."

"And how do you plan to use this new ability of yours?" Weiss asked him with a suspicious tone. "Because I think I speak for everyone here when I say there should be limits."

"Limits?"

"You know, concerning our privacy. I don't want you reading my mind every time I see you. There has to be some boundaries. What if I'm thinking of something embarrassing - not that I ever would - and you-"

"Whoa, whoa, I would never do that," he said, holding his hands out in front of him. "Come on, Weiss, you know me better than for me to intrude like that."

"Do I? During our first few weeks here, you pestered me to no end."

Oh, come on, he gave that up a long time ago. Forgive and forget, you know?

"Yeah, but as you say, there are limits." He could be a bit annoying, but he wasn't a pervert or a creep. "Look, I'm still figuring this whole thing out. If I hear or see something I'm not meant too, then trust me, it'll be an accident."

"It had better be," she huffed. "Otherwise you and I will have trouble."

"I get it," he nodded. He didn't exactly want anyone worming around in his head either. "But I promise, once I've got this thing under control, I'll never pry. I understand if I'm making you all a little careful of what you think right now."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Vomit Boy. We're all open books here," Yang laughed. "Here, I'll prove it to you."

 _An image of a muscular man flashed in his mind. He was grinning sensually as he slowly started taking off his clothes, finishing with his boxers and pulling out his large-_

Jaune wretched away in embarrassment and horror. "Yang, what the hell!?" he spluttered. The blonde cackled like a madwoman at his reaction.

"Huh? What was she thinking about?" Ruby innocently asked.

"Never you mind, Rubes," Yang winked at him. "It's just me and Jaune's little secret."

"If they're all like that, then trust me, your mind is the last place I'll ever look." Oh God, judging from her laughter, she was gonna spend all four years screwing with him like that. He was gonna have a real love/hate relationship with his semblance, wasn't he?

"Joking all aside, this is fantastic news," Pyrrha said, smiling at him and putting her hand on his. "This calls for a celebration. How about we all go out to Vale for dinner tonight?"

Jaune cocked his head in a confused manner. "Celebration? Just for discovering my semblance? Is it really that big of a deal?" It's not like it was his birthday or anything. Besides, celebrating him discovering something that his peers discovered years ago seemed pointless.

Nora jumped on his back and gave him a noogie. For such a loud girl, she could be terrifyingly sneaky at times. "Are you kidding, of course it's a big deal! Our fearless leader just discovered his inner superpower. What's not to get hyped about?"

Okay, he appreciated Nora's enthusiasm, but he felt like he was losing IQ points from how hard her knuckles were digging into his skull. Thankfully Ren swooped in to pry her off his back. What a bro.

"She does have a point, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled. "Discovering your semblance is a very important thing. They're extensions of ourselves, after all. By unlocking yours, you've essentially come to a better understanding of who you are as a person. Now do you understand why this is worth celebrating?"

Wow, that was actually kinda insightful. Perhaps Pyrrha was right, this was an important occasion. He usually blushed under constant praise, but he truly felt proud of this accomplishment. He would've never achieved something like this if he had stayed at home.

"She's right," Weiss nodded. "Semblances are what define us. They're what makes us unique from everyone else."

"Doesn't your family have the exact same semblance?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"M-My take on it is completely different!" Weiss spluttered, going off on a wild tangent to the faunus about how she used hers differently.

"I gotta admit, I never thought of it like that before," Jaune smiled, ignoring Weiss' rant and going back to the previous conversation. "I'm totally up for celebrating if you guys are."

Pyrrha beamed at him. "Then its settled. I know this lovely restaurant that serves the most amazing-"

"What? Come on, P-Money, you can't celebrate with something like that," Yang laughed. "Going out for dinner is way too chilled. The only way to properly celebrate is with strong drinks and loud music. It's how I celebrated when I discovered mine."

"Yang… you discovered yours when you were nine," Ruby said.

"Yup," she said proudly. "And let me tell you, I had the strongest fizzy drink at the under-fifteens disco that night." She sighed happily. "Good times."

"The decision should be Jaune's to make," Ren said, serving as the voice of reason once again. "This is his moment. He should be the one to decide how to celebrate."

"I really don't mind what we do," he shrugged. "I'll let you guys decide. I'm no good at organising this kind of stuff anyway."

"Then let's do it all!" Nora cheered. "We'll have a fancy dinner in the evening, then afterward we'll party till we're passed out. Forget about lessons the next day, you only discover your semblance once, after all."

"This girl gets it," Yang cheered, giving Nora a hi-five. "Rest assured, Jauney Boy, you're gonna wake up the next morning wishing you hadn't told us this."

For some reason, he was starting to think that already.

Although he was dreading the hangover he would undoubtedly have tomorrow, listening to Yang and Nora discuss party plans was incredibly humbling. Come to think of it, everything about this was humbling. Right now, all of his friends were discussing all the ways they could make his night special. Even Weiss was throwing out a few suggestions.

When was the last time anybody had planned anything like this for him? His family always celebrated events like his birthday and always made him feel like the most important person in the world during times like that, but anyone outside of his family? He had no memories of anyone else going out of their way to plan something for him, not even the few friends he had before coming to Beacon.

Seeing everyone now organising something special for him… he felt the happiest he had ever felt in a long time. He smiled as he watched his friends - his family - argue back and forth on the best way to celebrate. He honestly didn't know how to handle being put under such a spotlight.

 _You guys are the best,_ he thought, his mind being the only one he needed to read right now. Screw how he would feel in the morning after. He was gonna party with these fantastic people until he dropped.

[/]

"Mr Arc, to the stage if you please."

Ah crap, here we go again. Jaune groaned as he stood up from his seat and made his way to the locker room. Combat class was supposed to be about observing your peers and learning from each others strengths and weakness. But when he was in the arena, the whole class might as well have been at the circus with him as the clown.

But Ms Goodwitch's word was law, so he got Crocea Mors out of his locker and walked into the arena, ready to give the class the performance they were expecting. It didn't matter how many words of encouragement his friends shouted his way, they all knew how this was gonna go.

So, who was gonna be the lucky guy to face him in front of everyone?

Why none other than Cardin Winchester, of course. That was, what, the tenth time he had gone up against the bully? Didn't he ever get tired of throwing him across the room like a ragdoll? Were there seriously no other practice dummies Goodwitch could've given him to use?

Complaining about it wouldn't change anything though, so he walked to the centre stage and prepared to face the music. Cardin showed up a few moments later, carrying his mace over his shoulder and staring him down. He no longer wore that cocky smirk he usually did whenever he was around him, but he still didn't look pleased to see him.

"Don't think Forever Fall changes anything, Arc," the bully growled. "I'm not gonna go easy on you."

When did he ever? Still, it was nice to see he remembered that time he saved his life, if only to repay him by slamming his face into the floor. His father once told him that a hero's work often went unpraised, but he thought that kind of logic was reserved for comic books only.

The two took their positions, giving each other enough distance and time to prepare themselves. He always hated the waiting before a fight. It made him think of all the ways he was gonna get his ass kicked. Cardin's gaze never left him. His fingers clenched tightly around his mace in anticipation for the fight.

" _One swing to his head will end this. There's no way his scrawny arms can block a hit like that."_

Jaune blinked. He had just unintentionally read Cardin's mind. Well, what do you know? Apparently the bully did have a brain knocking around in that head of his.

Witty comments aside, this suddenly shed a whole new light on things. That hadn't been some meaningless thought he had just heard, that had been Cardin's plan of attack. That was how he planned to win the fight.

And Jaune now knew this…

"Begin!" Ms Goodwitch announced, commencing the start of the fight.

Cardin charged forward with his mace, moving at a surprising amount of speed from someone of his size and weight. He brought the mace over his head and sent it swinging down to Jaune's head. Had he not already known he had planned to do this, Jaune probably would've frozen in shock due to the speed of the attack.

But this was different. He knew Cardin would do this. He didn't even blink when he saw his terrifyingly large weapon raised at him. Cardin had made his move, now it was time for him to make his!

Before the mace struck, Jaune quick rolled out of the way. The ground beneath the mace exploded from the impact, getting slightly stuck in the process.

"The hell?" Cardin grunted, trying to pull the mace out. Jaune took advantage of this and slammed his shield against the bully's face. Cardin yelped and staggered onto the floor, quickly covering his face from any other attacks.

Looking at the monitors, he could see Cardin's aura begin to dip.

Holy crap… he hit him! He actually hit him! He would've let the small victory got to his head if he didn't see Cardin getting back on his feet and looking more pissed than ever.

"Beginners luck," he snarled. "Now you're really gonna get hurt." With one last tug, he pulled the mace out of the ground, gripping it tightly in his hand as he prepared for his next attack.

" _Sneaky prick. He won't feel so lucky after I destroy his kneecaps."_

His legs. Cardin planned to hit his legs next.

Oh my God, his semblance was amazing!

Cardin charged forward again and swung his mace at Jaune's legs. The mace would have swept them under him, but Jaune jumped over the mace before it could even touch him. From such a powerful swing, Cardin went stumbling as he tried recovering from his miss.

But Jaune wouldn't let him, so he slashed the back of Cardin's right leg with his sword, almost mimicking what he tried to do to him. Cardin cried out in pain and dropped to one knee, giving Jaune the chance to knee him in the chin. A hiss came from Cardin's mouth as he fell backwards onto the floor.

He couldn't believe it. He was standing his ground. He was beating Cardin.

This was happening! This was real!

The cheering voices from his team and Team RWBY gladly reminded him that this was all very real. Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora were standing up and roaring their praise at him. The rest of his friends remained seated but were still clapping ecstatically.

" _That little bastard,"_ he heard Cardin grunt behind him. _"How has he gotten so fast?"_

Jaune turned around to meet Cardin, a cocky smirk on his face as he watched the bully try to find his feet. "Want me to slow down, big guy?" he snarked. "I can slow down if you want." He never imagined he would get the chance to finally give the bully a taste of his own medicine.

"You son of a bitch," Cardin spat. "Hold still and break already."

" _Try laughing with a collapsed lung, you prick."_

Cardin lunged his mace at Jaune's chest, but Jaune casually sidestepped out of the way almost gracefully. Cardin staggered forward but was already preparing his next strike.

" _Screw it, I gotta end this now. I'll hit his head again."_

He swung his mace back around, aiming for his head. Jaune smiled and quickly ducked under it. Sweat was pouring down the bully's face. He looked like he about to have a cardiac arrest.

" _His arms."_

Dodge.

" _His legs."_

Dodge.

" _His chest."_

Dodge.

"Hold fucking still!" he roared in fury and exhaustion. Cardin wasn't so much moving anymore as he was dragging his body across the arena. His mace was hanging limply from his hand and each swing was devoid of energy. He panted and gasped every time he had to swing the giant weapon.

Jaune meanwhile had all the energy in the world. He was buzzing from the sense of euphoria this fight was giving him. For each failed strike, Jaune jabbed, smacked and punched the bully, chipping away at his aura with each hit. It was unclear what was destroying him first - the exhaustion or Jaune himself.

Either way, Cardin was down for the count. He dropped onto his hands and knees, breathing deeply with sweat dripping off his face. He tried grabbing his mace again, but he lacked the energy to even lift the weapon. All he could do was kneel there looking like a fool.

Jaune stood over him, feeling on top of the world. He looked down at the bully, taking a short moment to revel in the sight of him before picking up by the scruff of his neck. Cardin was a heavy guy, but his feeling of victory gave him the strength to hold him up.

"How… how the hell..." Cardin wheezed, his eyes looking dazed and half-closed. "How did you…"

"Speak up, Cardin," Jaune laughed. "You're kinda mumbling there, buddy."

"You… you haven't won anything!" The bully snarled, and in one last effort to win brought his fist towards Jaune's face. Jaune didn't even need to read his mind to block this one. He swatted the fist away and used his own to hit Cardin square in the nose. The bully slumped to the floor, looking very knocked out. His fingers twitched slightly but he made no other movements to get up.

The crowd was silent, almost as if no one could comprehend what they had just seen. To be fair, Jaune was having a hard time believing it himself. Cardin lay crumpled at his feet while he stood victorious. It sounded like something out of a fever dream.

Ms Goodwitch's voice brought an end to any doubts everyone was having.

"Cardin's aura has sunk into the red. The winner is Jaune Arc."

The crowd erupted into applause, everyone standing out of their seats to cheer for the unlikely winner. He caught Ms Goodwitch giving a small clap of her own and nodding her approval. Seeing the stern teacher finally look proud of him was an image he'd take to the grave.

As for his friends, well, they were going absolutely crazy. Pyrrha and Nora looked like they were ready to launch themselves at him and hug him for all he was worth. Ren had to be the one to hold them back. Yang as well looked like she was struggling to stop her sister from throwing herself at him.

He felt himself blush under the praise everyone was giving him. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect to have this kind of reception. He almost didn't know how to react. What would Pyrrha do in a situation like this? Regardless, he still loved every second of it. He had finally proved his worth to everyone in Beacon.

He gave a silent prayer to whatever god was out there for giving him his semblance. His life just got a whole lot easier with it.

[/]

Ren had been right. When he had first discovered his semblance it terrified him. Being able to hear other people's thoughts freaked him out to no end. He could thank his team and friends for helping him level with himself.

But Jaune had been in control of his semblance for the past few weeks now.

And it. Was. AWESOME!

Nora hadn't been kidding when she called it an inner superpower. It pretty much was to a large extent. He had dedicated a lot of his time practicing and experimenting with his semblance, realising along the way of all the many advantages it offered him.

And today it would help him pass Oobleck's stupid history test.

He sat at his desk, staring blankly at the questions written on the paper. Most of them seemed to be about the Great War and other historical battles. At least, that's what it seemed like as he was skimming through the pages, seeing if there was any question that looked easier than the others.

Oobleck had warned them all a week ago to study for it, threatening them with a week of detention to those who failed it. And whilst he did study a little for it, he never had the best concentration. The day of the test came quicker than he realised, and so here he was - knowing nothing and writing nothing.

The old Jaune would have panicked under the stress. On his seemingly limitless list of fears, doing tests was definitely on there. But not anymore. His semblance had made sure he would never have to worry about something like that ever again.

Why? Because whilst he may not have known the answers, that had to be someone in the room that did. Such as the person who assigned the test in the first place...

Some may view what he was about to do as cheating, and to be fair it probably was. But they were always encouraged to use whatever means necessary to achieve victory. Besides, no one was getting harmed from this. Why shouldn't he use his gift to his advantage?

He locked his gaze on Oobleck, the green-haired teacher sitting at his desk writing a report or something like that. He had long since controlled his semblance, and could now use it ad nauseum. It wasn't hard to activate, all he had to do was concentrate on someone and he would start hearing their thoughts. It worked quicker if he was making eye-contact, but it worked even if he wasn't.

After a few seconds, Oobleck's inner voice filled Jaune's head.

" _OfcourseIshouldhaveplannedinadvanceforsuchathingbuthowwasIsupposedtoknowwhowasattendingOzpinreallyneedstoworkonhiscommunicationskillsbecauseInearlyhadtoleavetheroomsoembarrassingmustnotletithappenagain-"_

Uh, English, please? Jaune's eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to process all that information. As impossible as it seemed, the eccentric teacher somehow spoke even quicker in his mind. Even if he did know the answers, he'd never be able to understand what he was saying.

But there were plenty more minds in the classroom, so Jaune looked around as casually as possible, trying to find the smartest person in the room. Someone had to know more than he did, it was a scientific certainty. He just had to find the right person.

Looking to his left, he saw Blake working on her paper. The faunus never said much, but he had seen her grades in the past. Stupid people didn't get high marks like her. Plus she was an avid book reader. She probably read every literary source on this test for fun.

After quickly checking that no one was looking, Jaune focused on her, waiting for his semblance to kick in.

" _But Akio can't fall in love with Maaya because he already has feelings for Sakura. Patty darling, you know I love you, but it's like you don't even read your own work anymore. If this goes on, I may have to give you some writing advice. My journal already has tons of stories-"_

Jaune pulled away from his mind, frowning in confusion from the girl's rant. He had no idea what she was on about, but it didn't sound like anything related to the test. He left her alone and looked for the next person.

His eyes briefly caught Yang, but he quickly looked away from her. The blonde's mind was a minefield of dangerous imagery and puns. Ever since he told her about his semblance, she went out of her way to think of the most embarrassing and disgusting things whenever he was in her presence. Even if she didn't know he was looking at her, he didn't want to risk it. Yang's mind was a scarring place.

He saw Ren looking down at his paper, seemingly in deep concentration. The eastern boy was pretty smart too, so there must have been something in his head that could help him out. It couldn't hurt to try, so he focused on him and waited.

" _..."_

… and waited.

" _..."_

Nothing? Seriously? Even if he was quiet on the outside, Jaune knew from past experience that he spoke plenty on the inside.

Before he could wonder what the problem was, he saw a thin line of drool coming out of his mouth and onto the paper. Looking closer, he saw that Ren's eyes were closed and his body was looking a little hunched.

Sleeping during a test? That guy really needed to work on his energy levels, or at least get an earlier bedtime. Oh well, at least he'd be with a familiar face in detention if he would fail this test. Not that he would fail this test, though. He just had to find the right mind and then it would be smooth sailing.

He quickly scanned the room again. There had to be someone who thought this test was easy. He didn't need to know every single answer, he just needed to know enough to pass. But who among them would have the knowledge he needed?

And then he saw her - working away at her paper and looking very proud of herself.

Weiss Schnee, the snow angel of Beacon - who looked like a literal angel now in his eyes - was sitting at the far end of the room breezing through the paper in front of her. The girl prided herself on being more knowledgeable than most people in the school, always blabbering on about her academic ability whenever she could.

Perhaps it was time to put her knowledge to the test?

" _The battle took place in Sanus, of course. Honestly, a child could have guessed that one."_

That sounded like the answer to question seven! Jaune quickly rushed down the answer and locked his sights on the heiress again, the girl blissfully unaware of what he was doing.

" _They named the king of Vale the Warrior King. Come on, give me something challenging here!"_

And that was question eight! Oh, Weiss, you beautiful little snowflake. He would never question her intelligence after today.

" _Four hundred casualties, making it the least devastating battle during the Great War. It's a sad time when four hundred people dying is considered a small consequence."_

Question number nine didn't stand a chance. Jaune could barely contain himself. This was perfect for him. Weiss Schnee was a fountain of knowledge. As long as he didn't get caught, he could use her brainpower to ace the test with flying colours. Who knows, perhaps this would be the day he got his first A+? He looked back at the girl who was the key to his salvation.

His bright blue eyes locked with her pale ones.

He didn't know what had caused her to move her head, but now she was staring right at him. For some reason he chose to hold her gaze, feeling strangely powerless to look away. Neither of them moved a muscle as they stared each other down. He could feel cold sweat running down his neck as he resisted the urge to gulp.

 _Arc, I swear to God, if you're in my head right now-"_

Abort! Mission abort! Look away now, you idiot!

His neck almost snapped at the speed of him looking away from Weiss and back at his paper. Okay, that was enough mind reading for today. A very pissed off Weiss Schnee was the last thing he needed. Sadly, failing this test was his safest option right now.

He groaned at the inevitable detentions that were heading his way.

[/]

" _I should strike his right shoulder while it's vulnerable."_

Pyrrha was as honest in her head as she was on the outside. He would've admired it if it didn't give him a huge advantage. Jaune raised his shield to protect his right shoulder. Pyrrha's spear bounced off it, forcing her to jump back and rethink her strategy.

The two were having their usual sparring match, with him finally making huge amounts of progress. He was successfully blocking her strikes and even managed to get a few good hits in when her guard was down. Okay, most of that was due to him using his semblance, but progress was progress damn it!

" _His stance looks pretty weak. I should sweep his legs under him."_

Jaune jumped over Pyrrha's sweeping leg that was aiming for his own and lunged at her with his sword. She quickly blocked it with her shield and kicked at him again, which he successfully dodged by stepping to the side. The two circled each other with their weapons at the ready.

He was getting a little out of breath, but then again so was she. He had her on the ropes. As long as he kept reading her strategy, he'd be able to win this fight relatively unharmed. The prospect of finally being able to give his partner a worthy challenge excited him.

" _Okay, I'll aim for his legs again. He won't be expecting the same move twice."_

Pyrrha charged forward, closing the distance between him and her. Jaune raised his shield over his legs in anticipation for her strike. Pyrrha was almost upon him now, her spear was aiming straight for his legs. Jaune held strong and awaited the attack-

-only to be surprised when she sheathed her spear and punched him right in the face.

He yelped and dropped to the ground, his hands coming up to nurse his throbbing nose. What had happened? She had definitely planned to go for his legs. He heard her think it. When he looked up, he saw his partner standing over him and laughing happily at his expense.

"I knew it," she giggled. "You were using your semblance the whole time, weren't you?"

Wait, what? How did she know this? Was she a mind reader too? Oh God, how overpowered was his partner!?

"How did you know I was using my semblance?" he asked as he got up, still wincing from the pain his nose was causing him. It's not like he started glowing like Yang when he used it. About the only clue he gave was that he was looking at someone. But they were in the middle of a fight, so of course he was gonna look at her.

"From your reactions," she smiled. "I'll admit, you did a good job of hiding it at the start, but you weren't that sneaky. It got to the point where you were reacting to moves I hadn't even made yet. Almost like you knew what I was gonna do next~"

He honestly wasn't too surprised that Pyrrha had figured it out. His partner was a genius in all things combat. Nothing got passed her on the battlefield. He wished he had her levels of perception.

"Sorry," he said with a blush. "I guess that was kinda rude of me, huh?" He had no problem using his semblance against someone like Cardin, but now he felt dirty for using it against someone as honest as his partner. He needed to learn a thing or two about honour.

"Not at all," she chuckled. "Actually, I'm glad you used your semblance. It gives me a chance to finally talk about it."

"Huh? Talk about it? What do you mean?"

"Jaune, your semblance is a powerful thing," she said in a surprisingly serious tone. "But it's making you predictable. I purposely thought about hitting your legs to throw you off guard. You were too busy reading my mind to pay attention to the actual fight. My body language sent clear signals that I had changed my strategy, yet you failed to pick up on them."

Yeah, he would admit that he barely paid attention to her movements during the fight. Though he felt he could be forgiven for that, as he never had to worry about things like that with his previous opponents.

"I knew I was able to trick you, because I know how much you rely on your semblance these days," she continued. "I'm afraid you're becoming a little too dependant on it, Jaune."

Jaune turned his head away and blushed in embarrassment. She was right, he had been using it a lot lately and it was a kinda embarrassing how much he relied on it during combat and academic lessons.

But it was so helpful that how could he not use it? It gave him such a huge advantage over most people, unless of course they pulled what Pyrrha had done just now. Its power was just too good to pass up on.

"I know what you mean," he sighed. "But it's so useful, Pyr. Thanks to my semblance, I feel like I'm finally starting to improve myself. My academic and combat scores are already starting to increase. Do you have any idea how good that feels?"

"Jaune, you shouldn't have to rely on your semblance to excel here," she said in that motherly tone she always used when trying to cheer him up. "Our semblances do give us advantages in life, but they're not supposed to be crutches. You've already come so far even before you discovered it, so you shouldn't have to feel dependent on it now."

"Pyrrha, before discovering it, I don't think I won a single battle in combat class." He thought real hard about it, but no victories came to mind until recently. It was a bittersweet revelation, but not completely unexpected. "Now look at me. I've finally schooled Cardin and given his team a run for their money."

"And you definitely earned those victories," she nodded. "But all I'm saying is that you're _constantly_ relying on your semblance to win the fights for you. If you keep this up, you'll never be able to improve your other skills. You can't just enter a battle as a one-trick pony. You need to be more versatile."

He was about to ask what other skills she was talking about but quickly decided against it. He would just get a long speech from her about how amazing he could be with just a little more practice. He wasn't blaming her for saying such things - on the contrary, it was incredibly heartwarming how much she valued him - but he felt she was wasting her breath.

Before discovering his semblance, he hadn't improved a bit. It didn't matter how much he practiced with Pyrrha or how hard he tried studying, nothing worked. He would always be less than average compared to the warriors he was surrounded by in his daily life.

But no more. He had a trump card now, and he intended to use it until the day he died.

"I don't see what the big deal is," he grumbled. "Yang uses her semblance all the time, yet no one judges her for it."

"I'm not saying what Yang's doing is good," she said. "In fact, I think she's making a huge mistake relying on it the way she is. It gives her a boost in power, yes, but I've seen her movements when she uses it. She becomes sloppy. She relies too much on her power than her technique. She's been lucky so far, but one of these days someone will find a way past that power and defeat her. Power is no substitute for skill, Jaune."

That was easy for her to say. Pyrrha was already a force of nature even without her semblance. She was powerful enough to only have to use it as a last resort. Him though? How could he ever be expected to win anything without the use of it?

"I'm saying this for your own benefit, Jaune." she said gently. "People can get addicted to their semblances. I've seen it happen before."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," he challenged. "Aren't addictions supposed to ruin someone's life? My life's never been better since discovering my semblance. I'm stronger, smarter, more confident. Why shouldn't I use it?"

"Nothing perfect lasts forever, Jaune," she sighed. "There might come a day when your semblance comes back to bite you. I don't want you not having a backup plan when that day happens."

 _When_?

 _When_ that day happens?

What did he have to worry about? His semblance was one of the most passive yet effective ones in the entire school. He never hurt anyone when using it and most didn't even notice when it was activated. Aside from some unwelcome imagery from Yang, what could possibly go wrong?

But he couldn't get angry at his partner. As always, she was only trying to help him. She was the only one who believed in him despite his horrendous swordplay. And whilst he didn't exactly get stronger through the ways she had intended for him, he still owed her everything for putting up with him.

And that's why he was gonna keep his mouth shut about the issue. Pyrrha was a brilliant girl, but she wasn't right about everything. He didn't blame her though because semblances were a very personal thing. He obviously knew a little bit more about his than she did.

But he wasn't gonna argue with her about it. For now, it would just be best to say what she wanted to hear. He would still use it on the side, but she didn't have to know that.

"I'll try, Pyr," he said. He hated lying to her like this, but she wouldn't be satisfied with an honest answer. "It might take a while, though. You're gonna have to bear with me while I sort this out."

"That's why I'm here, Jaune," she said. Her kind smile that stretched across her face as she spoke made him feel even more like an asshole. "We're partners, remember? I'm here for you and you're here for me. Rest assured, I will help you reach the top without having to constantly use your semblance."

He smiled and nodded, pretending to take on board what she was saying. She had a point, he was making it a little too obvious that he was using his semblance in combat. He needed to work on slowing down his reaction times, otherwise people would trick him the same way she had. That seemed to be the only flaw of his semblance.

He felt his scroll buzz in his pocket. He took it out and saw his alarm go off. They always set an alarm for how long they should train before heading back to their dormroom. The hour always seemed to fly by.

"Looks like we're out of time," he said. "We should start heading back. You know what Nora's like when she's bored."

"Don't I ever?" she laughed. "You go on ahead. I'm just gonna get some fresh air. I'll see you when I come down."

Jaune turned his back to her and started walking to the door. His semblance could be a funny thing at times. He was now so used to using it that he sometimes activated it accidentally. It didn't matter if he was even facing the person or not, sometimes he would just start hearing their thoughts by mistake.

Which is why he was able to hear his partner's voice ringing in his head now.

" _I hope I didn't come across as being too pushy towards him,"_ he heard her sigh in her head. _"How's he supposed to find me attractive if I sound like such a nag?"_

He nearly tripped up from what she was saying. He turned around in surprise and saw his partner still standing in her original spot. Upon seeing him, her green eyes widened and her face turned as red as Ruby's cape.

" _Oh God, no! He can hear that! Gods, um, think of something else. Literally anything else!"_

"Pyrrha?" His partner didn't respond, she just kept staring at him like she had seen a ghost. Her breathing was becoming frantic and it looked like she was about to pass out.

" _Okay, just shut up, Pyrrha. Just shut your mouth. Er, brain. Shut your mouth brain? Damn it, just shut up!"_

"Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, everything's fine," Pyrrha said in a sudden burst of nervous laughter. She sounded almost hysteric from how over-the-top her laughter was. It made him back off slightly as he felt his partner was about to burst. "Yes, everything's grand. Don't mind me."

"Okay, it's just that you seemed like-"

"Didn't you say you were going now?" she said frantically and with a slight twitch of the eye. Jaune took that as all the warning he needed and headed for the exit. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his partner's thoughts, but it was something he could dwell on later. Right now he needed a shower after all that training.

He heard her voice one more time before shutting the door behind him.

" _Dodged. A. Bullet."_

* * *

 **All good things must come to an end. I hope you're all ready to say goodbye when the time comes.**

 **Part two will be out next week.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the second and final part of The Mind's Eye. Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Part Two - ... and the Low**

* * *

You were more likely to find Jaune Arc in an Atlesian maximum security prison than in a library.

And yet here he was; in the quietest corner of the library and surrounded by books no less. Not a single comic book, scroll or any other kind of distraction could be seen at his workstation. Some people walking past looked at him as if he was a completely different person. He didn't blame them, as he did have a reputation for being a bit of a doofus.

Well, until recent events, anyway.

It had been over a month since he discovered his semblance, yet it was still unclear how many people knew about it. He never mentioned it to anyone else outside of his friends, since Team RWBY and his own team weren't known to gossip. He wouldn't be too surprised if it turned out the vast majority of students didn't even know he had discovered it.

This was great, because he could pretend his sudden increase in his grades and combat skills were the result of hard work, rather than his semblance. Even the teachers seemed to be in the dark about it, although he had a suspicion that Port might've known.

There was no fooling that mustache.

That being said, if he wanted to keep the illusion that he had been working hard all this time alive, he had to look the part from time to time, otherwise people would start to ask questions. He didn't need that kind of attention in his life.

That was why he was sat in the library, surrounded by textbooks about Grimm in preparation for Port's test on Grimm Studies. He had one open in front of him that he had been staring at for the past few mintues. 'Staring' being the key word. He didn't have to actually read the thing, he just had to pretend like he was. It seemed to be fooling most people.

" _What on earth is he doing here?"_

Jaune looked up to see Blake walking towards him. He heard her thoughts before he heard her footsteps. She looked at him with the same confusion as everyone else who saw him here.

"Hey, Blake," he said with a wave. "What brings you here?"

"I should be the one asking you that," she said. "Since when do you come to the library on your own? No offense."

"None taken," he laughed, though quickly lowered his voice when the librarian placed a finger to her lips. "Just thought I'd catch up on some studying for Port's test. I wanna try and walk away with a good grade this time."

"I see. It seems like you're doing a good job of it." She nodded to the books surrounding him. "Mind if I join you? I could use the study session, myself."

Jaune gestured for her to sit down in the empty chair on his right. She picked up one of the many books he had, before sitting down next to him. She started flicking through the pages idly.

"Where's the rest of your team?" he asked. "Shouldn't they be studying with you?"

"I need to get away from them for a while," she groaned. "Ever since seeing Oobleck in action, Ruby's trying to modify everyone's weapon to have a 'Zwei function' as she calls it." She shuddered. "That mutt isn't going anywhere near me or my weapon."

"That sounds… productive." He knew Ruby was a weapon geek, but this made her sound like Dr Frankenstein. "How is Weiss okay with this?"

"Are you kidding, she loves that dog. She'll do anything to get closer to it." She put her face in her hand and sighed. "That pooch is a bad omen, I tell you. It'll soon infect their minds with its presence alone."

"I think you might be exaggerating," he chuckled. "Besides, I'll be able to tell you if their minds are getting screwy. Knowing what someone's thinking is kinda my specialty."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask, how is your semblance these days?" Her eyes left her book and she turned around to face him when she asked this. "You've had it for quite a while now. Would you say you've got the hang of it?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged. "It used to creep me out the first few tries, but now it feels completely normal to use."

"I see." She leaned in a little closer from curiosity. "What does it feel like to read someone's mind? How does it even work?"

It felt strange talking about his semblance in such detail, but Blake was a friend. He trusted her enough not to spread information around willy-nilly.

"It's really not that exciting," he said. "I just focus on someone and then I start hearing their thoughts." The voice was always loud and clear, but there was a slight echo effect to it when it spoke. That probably had something to do with the fact that it was an internal voice, rather than an external one. "Maybe I've just gotten used to it, but It feels no different to the way I'm hearing you now."

"Interesting," she murmured. It looked like she was sitting in silence for a moment, until her heard the sound of her voice in his head.

" _So if I was to speak to you like this, you'd be able carry on talking to me like normal?"_

"I could," he chuckled. "Though I'd rather you didn't speak like that the whole time we are here. I'd look weird speaking to someone who isn't talking."

Even Blake got a little giggle out of that. "I suppose that's fair." She went back to her textbook but carried on talking. "Forgive my prying, but I find semblances to be very interesting. I often wonder what it'd be like to have someone else's for a day."

"Oh yeah? What do you think you'd do with it?"

She hummed for a moment from thinking. "I suppose I'd use it to obtain more knowledge. Nothing to hold over anyone's head, just enough to understand people and the world a little better."

"I suppose that would be cool," he said. He did kinda do that already, but so far he had just used it to get answers in tests. What Blake was proposing was far more interesting, though. "Although, it sounds like you'd have to read a lot of minds to achieve that."

"It'd be worth it, I think," she said. "Knowledge broadens our own minds, after all. Besides, it would certainly beat studying for exams. You could know the answers in an instant."

"Ah-hah, yeah, I guess I could," he chuckled nervously. "Not that I would ever do that, of course."

"That's not what Weiss says," she said with a sly smile on her face. Jaune found himself gulping at the sight of it. "Yes, she wasn't too happy with you after Oobleck's test that day. She kept calling you a 'thought thief' or something like that. It was quite funny really."

"I guess that's fair," he grimaced. He still intended to use his semblance - perhaps not on Weiss this time - but he still felt guilty when caught in the act. It reminded him of when he was younger, when Grandma Arc caught him with his hands in the cookie jar. Her punishments were severe, but it never stopped him getting more of the tasty treats. "Tell her I'm sorry, will you?"

"Very well," she smiled. "I don't really blame you, in all honesty. I probably would've done the same. Say what you will about Weiss, there's no denying her intelligence."

Yeah, that was true. He could write an encyclopedia from just ten percent of her brain power.

"My point still stands, though," she said. "People like Weiss have to work hard for that kind of knowledge. Scholars and historians devote their entire lives studying the world around them. With your kind of semblance, it would only take you seconds to obtain all that knowledge for yourself."

"Are you saying one day I could become a genius overnight or something?"

She shrugged. "The possibility is certainly there, I think. I suppose it all depends on how you use your semblance." She turned to him with a curious look on her face. "How _do_ you intend to use it anyway?"

Oh wow, what a question. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. He had currently been using it to predict people's moves and cheat in exams. In hindsight, he was using the bare minimum of his power and, in all honesty, probably wasting it doing stuff like that. What Blake was suggesting sounded much more fulfilling.

"I've been sorta going with the flow," he said. "Getting through Beacon and becoming a huntsman is the main thing on my list of priorities right now."

"Well, at least you know where you responsibilities lie," she hummed. "But maybe after that's finished, you could give what I said a little thought. Speaking practically, if you put your mind to it, someone with your semblance has the potential to be one of the smartest people on Remnant."

"I've never really thought about it like that before" he admitted. "You've... given me something to think about, Blake."

"Yes, well, don't get too excited," she smirked. "You've still gotta remember the information you hear."

True, but it was a lot easier to remember something when it was ringing in your head. Whenever he read someone's mind, the sound of their thoughts would become the most dominating sound to him. It was really hard to forget hearing something like that.

"Anyway, looks like I'm done here," she said as she started to get out of her chair. "That's enough studying for today."

"Wha- already?" he said in surprise. "You only just got here."

"You'll find I'm a very fast reader, Jaune," she said in a cocky tone. "I'm gonna see if my team has calmed down yet. Thank you for the company."

Jaune watched her go and looked down at the book she had been reading. It seems she was right; she had only been reading for maybe a few minutes, yet she was already halfway through the book. She had done all this whilst talking to him, too. Talk about multitasking.

Despite not having read her mind when she said it, Blake's previous words echoed in his head. If he tried hard enough with his semblance, he did have the potential to be something of a super genius. He could know things in seconds that someone could have studied their whole life trying to understand.

He hummed at the thought of it. Getting stronger had always been one of his dreams, but he always wanted to be smart, too. Well, that's not to say he was stupid now, but he was far from being a genius. But if used correctly, his semblance had the ability to offer him all the knowledge in the world.

Imagine how many people he could protect with a combined effort of brains and brawn. How much good he could do in the world...

He smiled. The endless list of possibilities his semblance offered him grew bigger everyday. Once he was done in Beacon, he would use it to become the best huntsman he could possibly be. All those dreams of heroics he had as a kid suddenly seemed more attainable now.

Giddy from the prospect, he rose out of his chair and started tidying his desk. He had probably been sitting there long enough to give a believable performance. He was about to put back Blake's book, when he noticed the passage that was left open from her. The description was small, but it held his attention the more he read it.

 _As of today, the psychological aspects of the Grimm remain a mystery. Whilst is is possible for a Grimm to show patience and restraint as it ages, it is unclear if this is simply a reflex, or of it learning from experience when hunting humans. A most common theory amongst scientists is that the Grimm are mindless creatures, and only gain them during later stages of their lives. Without proper means to conduct research though, it is still unclear as to how the mind of a Grimm operates._

Mindless…

He had always been told that the Grimm were mindless, and it was easy to believe that. They knew no fear, compassion, or even hunger. Hell, it could almost be assumed they knew nothing except hate and rage.

How was that possible? What was it that made the Grimm such hateful beasts? Even Oobleck had once concluded that it may be impossible to ever truly understand a Grimm's mindest.

Well, impossible for everyone else, maybe…

Jaune stared at the text, feeling a warm surge of motivation pass through him. The same surge he felt when he would look up at the statue in Beacon's courtyard, or when he read about the Arc family legacy.

Knowing things humanity already knew was one thing, but what if he gained knowledge on something nobody knew about? What if he could gain a better understanding of the enemy they were fighting? What if the knowledge he learnt - if there was any to be learned - could help everyone wipe out the Grimm menace once and for all?

An end to the Grimm… it sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

His heart thumped rapidly in his chest, the sensation of his revelation tuned him out from the rest of the world. By learning more about the Grimm, he wouldn't just be able to protect people from them, he could see to it that they never had to worry about the threat of them again.

They could start reclaiming Remnant for themselves!

That settled it then. The second the opportunity would arise, he would read the mind of the first Grimm he saw. He might not learn anything, but whatever he did learn could help humanity big time. With the combined strength of his semblance and his friends, those bastards wouldn't even know what hit them.

[/]

In most jobs, a team bonding exercise would probably consist of playing games, sharing silly stories with the rest of the team, and maybe even going out to the nearest bar for a few drinks.

In Beacon, the best way to bond was to go out in the woods and kill big scary monsters with your buddies.

Team RWBY and JNPR were currently fighting alongside each other, giving some Grimm a good thrashing. It was Team RWBY's turn to pick where the teams would hunt, and they chose Forever Fall. The beautiful forest was alive with the sounds of gunfire, snarls and light banter.

The two teams often fought alongside each other, both because of strength in numbers, and because it was fun to fight alongside your friends. It was also cheaper to hunt Grimm together than doing something like going to the movies.

Jaune hacked down a Beowolf that came his way, fighting alongside Pyrrha who was dealing with her own Grimm. In events like this, the two teams tended to space out from each other a little so that they wouldn't get in each other's way. Ren and Nora would deal with one side of the forest, whilst he and Pyrrha would handle another. They made sure never to stray too far away though, just in case something went wrong.

Not that anything would though, as both teams were quite capable when it came to dealing with Grimm. Especially low-tier ones like the ones they were facing right now.

With one swipe, Crocea Mors took the head of the beast off, sending it rolling to the ground. The Beowolf's face did not change when it was decapitated; that same angry snarl remained stretched across its lips as its head writhed in the mud. Whatever life remained in its eyes flickered then died. Jaune watched as its head began to dissolve into nothing.

"Excellent strike, Jaune," his partner cheered behind him. "Your swordsmanship is improving every day."

"You make me blush," he laughed. "Any four year old with a sword could have taken that guy. Beowolves are easy pickings."

"Ooh, someone's sounds confident," she giggled. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and run into another Deathstalker? Let see how long that attitude lasts then."

"I think I'm fine with fighting Beowolves for now," he quickly said, sheathing his sword as there were no other Grimm nearby.

It was kinda funny. Even though he sucked in combat class - before discovering his semblance, anyway - he never had much trouble dealing with Grimm. Maybe it was because they telegraphed their attacks, giving him enough time to react to them before they struck. Grimm had no time for concepts like strategy or planning.

It was almost as if their minds couldn't comprehend the idea...

"Are you alright, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, stepping a little closer to him. "You look confused."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said, jolting out of the trance he had put himself under. "I was just thinking about something." He tapped the head of the Beowolf as it was fading away. "What do you think goes on in there? In their heads, I mean. What do you think they think about?"

"Nothing," Pyrrha answered almost immediately. "The Grimm are mindless, remember?"

"Supposedly. But Port and Oobleck have said that some Grimm do have intelligence. For the ones that do, what do you think they think about?"

Pyrrha shrugged and rubbed the back of her head. "If I had to guess, I'd say they think about all the ways they want to kill us." His reaction to her answer must have been one of surprise, as she quickly started to defend herself. "At least, that's what I imagine. I can only speak from past experiences. So far I've yet to see a diplomatic Grimm."

Jaune chuckled at the idea of an Ursa wearing glasses and carrying a peace treaty. Yes, it was pretty hard to imagine a Grimm thinking of anything else other than death and destruction. They were as what their name implied.

"Why do you ask?" she said. "What's suddenly sparked your curiosity."

"I dunno," he admitted. The last remains of the Beowolf finally drifted off into the atmosphere. "I guess I've had a lot of time to think about it. It just seems really weird how a creature can be considered mindless, yet has the ability to hunt and form packs. Makes me wonder if there's more to them than what we realised."

"Perhaps," she said. It sounded like she was unclear as to where the conversation was headed. "You might be overthinking things a bit, though. Remember, our job is only to kill them. Let scientists worry about how their heads operate."

Jaune was a little surprised by her answer. "That's a pretty simple way of thinking coming from you."

"I'm just trying to spare myself the headache," she laughed. "People have been studying the Grimm for years - geniuses smarter than the both of us combined - yet none of them know what makes them tick. If even they can't figure them out, then how are we supposed to?"

He didn't answer her. The Beowolf's head had already disappeared, yet his eyes remained rooted on the spot from where it had once been.

"We should focus on our own skills for now," she continued, walking up to him to put a hand on his shoulder. "Destroying them is our specialty, after all. I wouldn't mind continuing this discussion afterwards, though I must confess, I'm probably not the best person to talk about this with. Oobleck might be able to offer some insight, though."

"If I can even keep up with what he's saying," he laughed. "Well, it was just a thought anyway. Sorry if I weirded you out for a second."

"Not at all," she smiled. "It's wonderful to see you interested in such matters. Inquisitiveness is the sign of a good leader." She patted him on the back and got her weapons ready again. "Anyway, I think we should check on Ren and Nora now. We can rendezvous with Team RWBY once we find those two."

Jaune was about to agree with her, when an idea came to his head. He had always refrained himself from using his semblance whenever his partner was near. She was already warey of using his semblance on people, but she would never approve of him trying to read the mind of a Grimm. If he was gonna act out on his plan, he would need some time alone.

"Uh, you go on ahead," he said. "I'll catch up with you later. I'm gonna see if I can get a few more solo kills."

It sounded like a believable excuse to him. He was always going on about how he wanted to get stronger. Trying to hunt alone sounded like a way to do it.

Pyrrha frowned. "Are you sure? It could be dangerous."

"I won't be long" he chuckled. "I'll just be a few minutes, tops. Then I'll head straight back to you."

Pyrrha didn't look completely convinced, but agreed to his proposal with a small nod. "Okay, just promise me you'll be careful. And don't hesitate to call us if you're in trouble."

"I'll be fine, honestly. I learned from the best, after all."

She blushed at the praise, but quickly got a hold of herself. "D-Don't do anything reckless, you hear?" she stammered with a shy smile, before running off to meet up with the rest of her teammates. Once she was gone, Jaune headed off further into the forest.

He made sure he wasn't going too far away from everyone, but he did want some privacy for what he was about to do. Having onlookers could complicate things, and he needed absolute concentration for this. Once the sound of gunfire became slightly muted in the distance, he stopped walking, deciding that where he was would be far enough.

Red leaves blew gently in the wind, some falling down to his feet. He would occasionally step on one, creating a soft crunching sound rippling through the air. The sound of leaves and the gentle blow of the wind were the most dominating sounds around him.

He was completely alone... it was almost peaceful. Had he not been on a mission, he would've stopped to enjoy the scenery around him.

But duty called, so he unsheathed Crocea Mors and transformed the sheath into its shield form. He started banging on the shield, disturbing the harmony around him.

"Come on out, Grimm," he shouted to get their attention. "I know you wanna eat me, so come and get me."

He heard a rustling behind him, hoping it wasn't one of his friends looking for him, and was slightly relieved to see a lone Beowolf poking out of the bush. It was a very odd day when he was relieved to see a Grimm of all things.

The beast sniffed at the air around him and growled menacingly. It started to circle around him cautiously. It looked young and it was no Alpha, but it wasn't stupid. Whatever intelligence it had gained, it hat allowed it to recognise him as a potential threat and to not charge in recklessly.

Jaune wasn't put off by the beast's demeanor. He was quite confident he could kill it if it was just on its own, which judging from the look of it, it probably was. Still, he held his shield up cautiously as he watched the beast's movements.

"I've got a question I wanna ask you," he said almost playfully. "How do you guys work? We've been trying to figure it out since forever, yet we keep drawing blanks. You think you can help me out."

The Grimm snarled in reply, drool dripping off its fangs. Its eyes promised bloodshed as it readied its body to attack.

"So it's gonna be like that, is it?" he said. "Okay then, if you won't tell me what I wanna hear, I'll just take the information from you."

Before the Beowolf could respond with another growl, Jaune activated his semblance and plunged deep into its mind, or whatever could be passed for one.

 _Darkness._

 _A world of pure black surrounded him. There was nothing to see or hear amongst the shadows. No light pierced through the shadowy walls of the world he had found himself in. Silence hung in the air, sending chills up his spine from how eerily lifeless the place was. The world was desolate, devoid of any thought or reason. The only sound to be heard was the gentle flow of his breathing._

 _This is what the mind of a Grimm looked like? It was… dull._

 _He looked around to find any source of information, to hear any thought in this lifeless plain of existence, but there was nothing. This place was literally nothing. Empty. Void._

 _What else did he expect from the mind of a Grimm?_

He mentally pulled himself out of its head, slightly shaking his head from the experience. The Grimm hadn't moved from its original spot, probably from confusion as it wondered what he was doing. He was in no mood to commended it for its patience.

That had been annoyingly unfulfilling.

"Well, you were a waste of time," he grunted. Enraged, the beast swiped at him with one of its claws, but he blocked the attack with his shield, countering it with a slash to its stomach. It roared in pain, but he silenced its cries with a swipe to its neck. The Beowolf dropped to the ground dead.

He frowned at the corpse in disappointment. Was that really all they had to offer? He didn't want to believe it - he had been so excited - but it seemed the speculations were true. He hadn't found a trace of thought when poking around in its head. Perhaps they truly were mindless…

… no.

No, he couldn't stop there. That Beowolf he had killed was little more than a pup compared to some he had seen before. There had to be other Grimm out there that could offer more than what this one could. He just had to find the right one.

He thought hard about where he should start looking. Beowolves themselves were one of the most common type of Grimm to find, and as such were usually weaker compared to other species. If he wanted to find a Grimm with a mind worth reading, he'd have to find something bigger, something older.

He doubted he would find one in such a short amount of time, but he had to try. Fueled by determination and hope, he walked further into the woods. If he could get any bit of information from one of these monsters, it would've all been worth it.

[/]

In a cold, dark world, a shattered moon hung in a sky of eternal night. Shadows and fog stretched across the landscape, concealing the nightmarish terrors that preyed upon foolish travellers.

And in the midst of it all, a woman with sat in her throne room, overlooking the hellish landscape that was her kingdom. Her deathly-white skin glowed from the veins that stretched across her flesh like fingers. Her blood-red eyes glowed even in the darkest of shadows, a beacon of sinister light in a land that was forever dark.

Salem, the Dread Queen herself, was in a very good mood.

The humans in her servitude were meeting expectations. One of her more prized pawns had even infiltrated Beacon without rousing the suspicions of Ozpin himself. Things were going rather well, indeed.

She was alone, her current company being the Seer that floated loyally by her side. She enjoyed the quiet moments she had to herself. Conversing with humans was tiring, no matter how useful her new flock had proven to be. She savoured the moments where she could rule in silence amongst her familiars. It relaxed her, hearing the faint sound of snarls and growls in the distance.

Her peace was disturbed however, when one of the Seer's tentacles twitched suddenly.

She turned her head and eyed it curiously. It had never done that before, and there was nothing in the room that could have warranted such a reaction. Indeed, the Seer went back to floating peacefully as soon as the twitch passed.

Her eyes narrowed cautiously at her silent companion.

What had happened?

[/]

The sound of his friends grew even quieter the further he trudged.

There had to be stronger Grimm out there. Forever Fall was known for both its beauty and its danger, so there had to be more dangerous Grimm lurking around. If he could just find one, he'd read its mind and return to his friends immediately.

Granted, whilst he was looking for a more dangerous Grimm, he didn't want something _too_ dangerous. He'd have to kill it once he was done, and whilst he was more confident in his fighting capabilities these days, he knew his limits. Someone like him probably wouldn't last long against a King Taijitu, nor did he intend to test that theory.

It felt like he had been walking for hours. Forever Fall was beautiful, but the scenery did get a little old after awhile, especially if you were on a mission like him. The colours and plantlife did little to sway him from his task.

He paused for breath by sitting next to a stream nearby. He cupped his hands in the water and took a big gulp. Hunting Grimm was thirsty work, and he was always thankful to be given fresh water. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear the sound of crunching leaves behind him.

For a moment it felt like the sun had hid behind some trees. He felt its light leave his body as a large shadow enveloped him. He looked at his reflection in the stream, and is heart nearly stopped at the sight before him.

Standing over him was a giant Beowolf, much larger than the one he had fought earlier.

And it looked hungry…

He quickly scrambled out of the way, drew his sword and observed his opponent. It was indeed a Beowolf, but besides appearing larger, it looked different in physical appearance, too. It had more armour covering its body, as well as more spikes jutting out of its fur. Its teeth looked sharper too, as well as its claws.

An Alpha…

"Oh, you'll do nicely," Jaune grinned. A monster of that size and strength surely had to be wiser than its lesser brothers. He thanked his luck that he had ran into such a specimen, which still felt like a weird thing to be thankful for.

He activated his semblance once again, and the world around him became a blurred haze.

[/]

The Seer's tentacles were going wild. What was just a random twitch before was now causing its appendages to flail wildly in a mad frenzy.

"What is the meaning of this?" Salem growled, rising out of her chair and approaching the deranged Grimm. For once in her life, she had no idea what was happening. But she intended to find out. Swiftly.

Was this Ozpin's doing? Had that meddling old fool found a way to somehow influence her minions? No, that was impossible. He was powerful - for a human - but not that powerful. Her Grimm were incorruptible, only bending to her will. She gripped the head of the Seer, which was still flailing uncontrollably.

"Show me what you see," she whispered to it. The dull yellow glow in its head dimmed, until a new image was shown within it. Inside the Seer's head was a mental projection of what seemed to be the mind of one of her more stronger Grimm. It always amused her how humanity believed her forces were mindless. Their ignorance would be their extinction.

But something was amiss. Inside the Grimm's head was an image of… a human?

"Who dares!?" she snalred. How had a human - and a rather young one at that - wormed his way into the head of one of her soldiers? She would've spent time thinking about it, but unfortunately for this _human_ , her fury outweighed her curiosity.

This insolence would not go unpunished! Humanity was already a stain on existence, but now they had the nerve to infect one of her creation!? Her red eyes burned brighter from the rage boiling inside her.

Closing her eyes, she connected herself to Grimm whose mind was being invaded by this cretin. She didn't know how this boy had done what he did, but he was going to regret it…

[/]

 _He already missed the darkness from before._

 _A desolate landscape stretched before his vision. Huge spear-like crystals, looking sharper than his own weapon, rose out of the ground glowing ominously. The only colour to be seen in this world was a hideous shade of purple and red. The only thing recognisable in this strange world was the shattered moon, yet even that looked sinister under the dark and hazy sky of this world._

 _A mist hung in the air around him. Everywhere he looked he saw it, almost as if it was coiling around him, ready to close him in within its walls. No plant life decorated the ground, leaving the landscape completely barren._

 _He thought about calling out for anyone to hear him, but stopped when he remembered where he was. This was the inside of a Grimm's head. There was no one else here but him._

 _He treaded along the dark plains cautiously. So, this is what Grimm thought about when they weren't killing people. But what was this place? Their homeland? Was this where all Grimm came from?_

 _Whatever this place was, it made his skin crawl. It was quiet, almost threateningly so. Despite not yet seeing another living being, such silence made him feel like he was being watched. He found himself looking behind him with almost every step taken._

 _The air felt cold. He didn't know how he was able to even feel cold in someone's - or some_ thing's - _mind, yet he still felt a chill the further he explored. Whether it was the climate or the unsettling atmosphere that was making him feel cold was anyone's guess._

 _He wouldn't've been surprised if it was the latter, though. Everything about this place filled him with dread. The scenery was haunting and uninviting. The crystals that grew from the ground looked threatening in nature, towering over him like they were watching him. The red and purple haze felt suffocating and painted the world in a sinister light._

 _Oh God, why did it have to be so quiet!?_

 _It wasn't the silence that set off warning bells in his head, though. The wall of mist seemed to be growing thicker with each step he took. It grew so thick that he could no longer see the path ahead of him. He looked back, only to find the path behind him had been sealed off by the mist, too._

 _His heart thumped furiously in his chest. There was nowhere for him to go. He felt like a caged rat within its walls._

 _The chill he felt before grew even colder, rattling his bones and had him shivering violently. He couldn't stop his teeth from chattering in his mouth. It felt like the entire world had just turned against him._

 _He looked around for any escape, but could find none. Everywhere he looked he saw only more mist, which seemed to be closing in on him. He couldn't move, he was trapped on the spot. He felt like screaming for help, but who would hear him? He was all alone in this desolate world._

 _And then he saw them._

 _Glowing from within the mist were two red orbs, their blood-red glow somehow managing to cut through the thick walls. They gazed down on him like a spotlight, the only light left to be seen within the mist._

 _Jaune stares up at them in terror. He wanted to look away, but found himself almost hypnotised by their haunting light. He didn't have the strength to pull his gaze away. He could only stare as his heart filled with dread._

" _ **What is your name!?"**_ _a bone-chilling voice came from within the mist. It sounded female in nature but was too terrifying for his mind to comprehend._

 _Jaune didn't answer. The sound of his teeth chattering was the only sound that left his lips._

" _ **Answer me!"**_ _the voice roared. Jaune fell backwards in terror and tried scrambling away from the voice. Who the hell was saying this!?_

 _A ghostly pale hand suddenly shot out from within the mist and grabbed him by the throat. He screamed as he was dragged forward by this invisible attacker._

 _The hand held him suspended in the air for a while. The flesh that gripped him was the coldest thing he had ever felt in his life. It chilled him right down to his very soul. He could feel his throat literally freezing up from being in its grip._

 _As he writhed and struggled, a form began to step through the mist; the owner of the arm that was choking the life out of him. Jaune's eyes widened at the sight of the woman in front of him._

 _She was the most ghastly woman he had ever set eyes upon. Her skin was a sickly shade of white, with horrific red veins covering the majority of her body. Her hair, that was just as white as her skin, was spider-like in appearance, from the way the offshoots dangled down her face like legs. Her blood-red eyes bore into his, shaking him to the core as they glowed with cold, unrelenting fury._

" _ **My patience runs thin, child. Speak now or be forever silent!"**_ _She shook him for encouragement._ _ **"You have no place in this world. You are not welcome here. Who are you? How have you come to be here?"**_ _Her fingers tightened around him._ _ **"SPEAK!"**_

 _Where it was from the crushing grip on his throat, the feeling of his lungs turning to ice, or the sheer terror that wrecked his body, Jaune did not reply. The only sound that escaped his lips were choked gasps and frightened whimpers._

 _Despite his blurring vision, he saw other glowing red eyes from behind the mist. The growls and snarls that followed identified them as Grimm. They stood back, watching him as he suffered at the hands of the woman. They barked and yipped excitedly at the spectacle._

" _ **Very well,"**_ _the woman muttered as she raised her other hand, a dark glow of black energy swirling within her palm._ _ **"Your secrets die with you."**_

 _She then grabbed one side of his face with the glowing palm and gripped tightly. Despite being choked, Jaune screamed the loudest he had ever done in his life. His lungs threatened to burst from his howl of pain. Whatever the woman was doing, it was causing him excruciating torture. It felt like his entire body was on fire, the pain eating away at him from the inside and out._

 _The Grimm from beyond the mist howled happily at the sound of his screams. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as he desperately tried to stay alive. He could feel tears running down his face, a brief respite from the mind-shredding agony that he was feeling. His voice became hoarse from screaming, causing him to wheeze and gasp throughout it all._

 _The woman smiled as she watched him twitch and writhe in agony. His spasms only encouraged her to turn up the pressure. His voice found new strength to scream again when she did. His screams echoed throughout the hellish landscape he had found himself trapped in._

 _His eyes gazed up at the lifeless sky above him in despair. The moon stared down at him, serving as the last reminder of home in this twisted world. It would be the last thing he would ever see._

 _He was going to die! He was going to die alone, screaming, and far away from his friends and family!_

 _He didn't want to die. Not like this._

 _Somebody save him._

 _Make the pain stop._

 _Please._

 _Make the pain stop._

 _He didn't want to die._

 _She kept smiling. It only grew wider the more he screamed._

 _He didn't want to die He didn't want to die He didn't want to die He didn't want to die He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die._

 _SOMEBODY PLEASE SAVE HIM-_

[/]

He gasped at the soft contact of grass on his back. Beautiful red trees and blue sky replaced the nightmares that had once filled his vision.

His head turned frantically from left to right. He was back in Forever Fall. The nightmarish world was no more. Even the pain had disappeared, though his body shuddered violently from the memory of it.

The shivers became too much, and he ended up vomiting on the ground next to him. He coughed and spat out what was left of his strength on the grass.

Cold sweat was running down his body, his arms trembling as he held himself. What the hell was all that!? It was too hellish to be real, yet he remembered it all so vividly. How had he even arrived in such a nightmare? The last thing he remembered was approaching an Alpha Beowolf and-

The sounds of gunshots broke his train of thought. To his left, he saw his team slicing and shooting apart the same Alpha he had approached. His partner turned around to look his way, whilst Ren and Nora finished off what was left of the beast.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out in distress. "Oh my God, are you alright? What on earth happened back there?"

"P-Pyrrha?" He reached out a clammy hand her way. She sounded and looked so real. He didn't want this to be another bad dream.

She grabbed it and held it firmly in her hands. "Jaune, you have to tell me what happened. Come on, speak to me!"

She was warm. Her skin was soft and comforting in his hand. It felt real enough, but so did the woman's-

His eyes locked on his partner's hair. Red. He had seen that colour before. He looked around and saw that he was still in a world of red. From the trees, to the leaves, everything was red.

That other world had been red… that woman's eyes…

Oh, God… Oh, God…

No more red! Turn it off! He didn't want to see it anymore!

He covered his face with his hands and wailed, howling uncontrollably as he tried to hide from the world around him. He heard other footsteps approaching, the sounds of people asking what had happened. He tried drowning out the noise, but it was no use. There was just too many people.

After what felt like an eternity of screaming, he eventually exhausted himself. His head and throat felt painful. He wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. He wanted to wake up the next morning and forget everything that had just happened.

For a moment, he felt himself moving without using his legs. Someone was carrying him. He didn't stop to look at who it was. Said person then lowered him down onto something that felt like a seat. When he opened his eyes, he saw he was on a bullhead. His friends were all crowded around him, but dispersed when someone told them to give him space.

He felt exhausted. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. He just had enough strength to look out the window. He saw Forever Fall once again, the forest no longer looking as beautiful as before. His eyes scanned for anything that wasn't red.

They caught the sight of another Alpha Beowolf. It was sitting on a rock, watching the bullhead fly off.

Even at this distance, there was no ignoring the familiar voice that spoke when he looked at it.

" _ **You haven't escaped me, boy."**_

Those were the last words he heard before finally slipping out of consciousness.

[/]

The doors to the medical wing burst open as Team RWBY and JNPR rushed through the door, carrying Jaune's unconscious and shivering form.

"Somebody help!" Yang roared. "We need a doctor, stat!"

A nurse stood by one of the beds in the room. She was a little startled by the outburst, but one look at Jaune had her rushing to their side. "What happened? What's wrong with this young man?"

"We don't know," Ruby sobbed, the young girl horrified from the whole ordeal. "We were hunting some Grimm, but then he just started to-" Her voice left her as she began to choke up. Yang quickly pulled her into a hug and started stroking her hair to calm her down.

"Come, quickly, lay him down." They lowered him gently down onto one of the beds. The nurse removed his armor and studied his form. "He doesn't appear to have any injuries," she murmured. "You need to tell me exactly what happened whilst you were out."

"We decided to go hunting in Forever Fall," Pyrrha said quietly. Her eyes never once left her partner. "Then he told me he wanted to hunt some Grimm on his own for a while. But he was taking too long, so we went looking for him. When we found him, he was curled up in a ball underneath an Alpha Beowolf."

"An Alpha?" the nurse gasped. "How is he not injured? Did the Grimm not attack him."

"No, it didn't," Ren said in a shaky voice. "For some reason, it was just… staring at him."

"What do you mean it was just staring at him? That doesn't make any sense."

"It's the truth," Nora cried. "It just kept looking at him. We don't know why it didn't attack him, but it didn't."

"He only started talking again when we killed the Grimm," Ren continued. "He wouldn't stop screaming. I've never seen him like that before."

"Can you help him?" Pyrrha grabbed the nurse's shoulders, dragging her to eye level. "Please, you must help him!"

"Calm yourself," the nurse said gently as she pried her hands off her shoulders. "The good thing is that he's not injured. Right now he's safer in here than what he would be in Forever Fall. For now it's for the best that he gets some rest." She looked down at his body again. Her eyes didn't miss the way his body twitched randomly. "He needs it now more than ever."

"But he will be alright, yes?" Pyrrha cried. Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her emerald eyes.

"I promise you all, we will do everything in our power to make sure your friend has a swift recovery." The nurse addressed everyone as she spoke. "All we can do now is let him rest and see how he is when he wakes up."

"But-"

"I can give him something to help ease him," she continued. "But we must let him sleep. I and the rest of the staff will be keeping a close eye on him as he rests. So please, try to calm yourselves. Everything will be alright."

"I hope so," Ruby murmured, still holding tightly to her sister. "I don't like seeing him like this. It scares me."

"You heard the nurse, Rubes. He'll be fine," Yang said in a tone that betrayed her words. "He probably just got spooked by something, that's all."

"But he's fought Grimm before," the girl sobbed. "Why would he suddenly act like this now?"

Yang didn't respond.

"We should give him some time alone," Weiss said. "Crowding around him can't be good for his health. We should leave him alone for a while."

As reluctant as they all were about it, the two teams eventually started to disperse. All except one, who stayed hovered over by his side. One would need the strength of the world to try and tear her away from him.

"Pyrrha?" Ren said gently.

"I'm staying here," she said firmly. "I can't leave him now."

Ren knew better than to argue against it, so he nodded and left her to her own devices. Pyrrha sat down on a chair next to his bed and took his hand in hers. He felt so cold against her skin. She gently caressed the back of his hand, hoping to soothe him in whatever way possible.

"You're going to be okay, Jaune," she whispered. "I'm right here with you. You're going to be fine."

He had to be.

[/]

 _He was surrounded by darkness again, yet it wasn't the same as before._

 _He heard voices, though they sounded muffled and unintelligible. He felt a ray of light beaming down on him. When he looked up, he saw a window of light shining through the pitch-black sky. In the window, he saw his friends and what looked to be a nurse surrounding someone lying on a bed. He couldn't see who was lying down though, as he could only see everything from the neck down._

 _Looking closely at the body though, he recognized the Pumpkin Pete hoodie that he always wore, as well as his blue jeans and sneakers._

 _Was this… him?_

 _Judging from the room, it looked like he was lying on a bed in Beacon's medical wing. But if he was there, then where was he now? He tried calling out to his friends, but they didn't seem to hear him. They just stood around him looking worried._

 _What was going on?_

" _ **Stare at them all you wish,"**_ _a familiar voice spoke behind him. His body froze up at the sound of it._ _ **"They cannot help you here."**_

 _He frantically looked around the dark space he had found himself in. There was no sign of that monstrous woman, though. Aside from the window in the sky, all he could see was an endless stretch of darkness._

 _He brought his hands to his face and started rocking his head back and forth. He shut his eyes tightly as he wished away the evil he was trapped with. "This isn't real," he whimpered. "None of this is real."_

" _ **You're awfully young to be involved in matters like this,"**_ _the voice continued._ _ **"Not just you, but all of your friends are."**_ _The voice laughed._ _ **"Ozpin's lambs are getting smaller every day. Does he think it will make a difference? That I will somehow be opposed to killing children?"**_

 _He felt a pair of invisible fingers running through his hair. They gently stroked his scalp, but their icy touch had him frozen in fear._ _ **"Or maybe it's something else,"**_ _the voice whispered. It sounded uncomfortably close as if its owner was speaking directly in his ear._ _ **"Maybe he recognizes how disposable you are. He knows he can send you out to die, knowing there would be no real consequences."**_ _The voice laughed again._ _ **"Yes, that does sound like him."**_

 _Jaune somehow found the strength to wrench himself away from her grasp. He stumbled forward and turned to face her, only to be met with nothing in his sight. "You don't know anything about us!" he roared amidst the darkness. "You don't know anything about me!"_

" _ **Oh, but I know everything, child,"**_ _the voice said in an amused tone._ _ **"I witnessed mankind take its first step in the world, and I will live to see its demise. I know everything about your world… I know everything about you."**_

 _Jaune shut his eyes again. He clamped his hands over his ears, trying desperately to shut out her voice. None of this was real. He was dreaming, he had to be. He was gonna wake up any second now in his dorm room with his team, then this woman would be out of his life forever. Yes, everything would go back to normal and he'd never have to see or hear her again-_

" _ **I know you don't really believe that, Jaune."**_

 _His heart missed a beat. His blood felt like ice-water after hearing her words. He slowly lowered his hands from his ears. "How do you know my name?" he whimpered._

" _ **Poor child."**_ _The voice sounded sympathetic in tone, but he knew better. This woman was reveling in his torment._ _ **"I wasn't lying when I said I knew everything about you. This is your mind we are in, after all. I know you better than you probably know yourself."**_

 _He gazed in despair at the world around him. This place? This dark and lonely world was his mind? But that was impossible. How had he even arrived here? Was this the result of him being unconscious?_

 _Then realization struck: If he was unconscious, that meant he was trapped here… with this woman in his head._

 _He looked up at the window in the sky and saw his friends still standing over him. "Help me!" he screamed at the window. "Wake me up! Please!"_

" _ **They can't hear you, Jaune. It's just you and me in here."**_

" _Shut up!" he roared at the voice, before turning his attention back to the window. "Somebody wake me up! She's going to kill me! Please, you have to wake me up!"_

 _True enough, his friends didn't respond to his words, blissfully unaware of the hell he was trapped in. He sunk to his knees in defeat, hammering his fist against the ground. How the hell was he going to escape this time?_

" _ **I've enjoyed the time I've spent here,"**_ _the voice purred._ _ **"Being here has allowed me to learn so much about you. You have so many memories..."**_ _Suddenly, the image of his friends in the window disappeared, replaced with a dull grey background._ _ **"Why don't I show you some of my favourites?"**_

 _The grey background began to disappear, revealing the image of a young boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes. The child was playing with a toy sword in a garden, hacking down invisible foes whilst claiming he would protect his family from the big scary monsters._

 _He remembered that day well. It was the day he decided he wanted to be a huntsman._

" _What are you doing!?" He cried. "Why are you showing this!?"_

" _ **Such an idealistic youth,"**_ _the woman murmured, ignoring his cries of protest._ _ **"So many dreams of grandeur and heroics. Of course, they didn't quite work out in the end, did they?"**_

 _The image then faded away to a new one. It showed Jaune as a child again, only this time he was sitting on his bed, crying about how his mummy and daddy were the worst parents ever. They wouldn't let him become a huntsman, even though it was his dream. He cried and called them every bad name his young little brain could think of._

" _Stop it!" he wailed as he watched his childhood play out in front of him. This woman was all kinds of twisted, torturing him with visions of his youth. "Those are my memories! Leave them alone!"_

" _ **Patience,"**_ _the voice chuckled._ _ **"We still have one more left. I'm sure you'll appreciate this one."**_

 _The window flashed to a teenage Jaune walking quietly through his house at night. Each step was carefully made as if he was worried about waking someone up. He had a large rucksack over his back that clinked slightly with all the stuff he had in it. He stopped walking when he reached a large cabinet with the Arc family crest grooved into the wood._

 _Producing a key from his pocket, he unlocked it and pulled out the object of his desires - Crocea Mors. The ancient blade gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the window. Attaching it to his waist, he then whispered a small apology to his family, before disappearing off into the night._

 _That was the night he had left for Beacon. The night he abandoned his family..._

 _Jaune stared in disbelief as he watched the final memory play out in front of him. She really did know his entire history. Every secret he had, every moment of his life, she knew it all. It made him want to be sick, if he could even do that here._

 _He left behind his entire world that night. He betrayed the trust of his parents, his sisters, anyone who knew him in his hometown, just to chase a dream that had now led him to the nightmare he was currently in._

 _The woman knew this… and she loved it._

" _ **I do enjoy watching that one."**_ He could feel the twisted grin on her face as _she said that._ _ **"When you left that night, you swore to become a huntsman worthy of your family's legacy and put an end to all the evil in the world. I'm glad you decided to leave when you did; I would never have met you otherwise."**_

 _He felt something materialize in his trembling hand_ _ **.**_ _Looking down, he saw himself gripping a replica of Crocea Mors, the blade looking sharper than ever before. His shield had somehow materialized onto his other arm, folded out and ready for combat._

" _ **So here I am, Jaune,"**_ _the voice cheered mockingly._ _ **"I am every evil you promised to defeat all those years ago. So what are you waiting for? Strike me down! End this nightmare once and for all!"**_

 _Damn her…_

" _Stop it," he whimpered. He felt his sword nearly slipping out from his fingers._

" _ **What's the matter? Have you finally lost your nerve? You must know it is too late to give up now-"**_

" _Shut up!" he screamed, throwing his sword halfway across the darkness. It made no sound as it bounced against the shadows. "Why can't you just leave me alone!? I haven't done anything to you! Fuck, I don't even know who you are!" Tears were streaming down his face the more he screamed. "This is my mind! My memories! You don't belong here and I want you gone! Now leave me alone!"_

 _He didn't know where or who he was screaming at. There was nothing but shadows filling his vision, save for the giant window in the sky. He felt exhausted; all the horror and the pain he had experienced was draining him. He sunk to the floor again, staring down weakly at the floor. "Just leave me alone," he whispered._

 _Silence filled the dark chamber, the only noise to be heard was the weak sound of Jaune sobbing. What the hell did she want from him? Wasn't torturing him and sending him to the point of madness punishment enough?_

 _The window in the sky suddenly vanished, the darkness quickly spreading across the space it had once occupied. The sword he had thrown quickly disintegrated, as well as the shield. The last light of the world had been expunged._

 _Jaune couldn't even see his own hand in front of him. He was alone in the dark, trapped with his captor who was being unusually quiet._

" _ **No!"**_

 _A pale hand covered in veins shot out from the shadows. It grabbed him by the jaw and hoisted him in the air. He gasped as he felt the dreadful bitter-cold sensation of her touch, as well as her talon-like nails digging into his skin._

 _He saw the woman emerge from the darkness, a cold mask of hatred adorned her features. Her deathly-white skin stood out even among the blackest of shadows. The fury in her red eyes pierced his soul as he gazed into them._

" _ **You do not command me, boy,"**_ _she seethed._ _ **"You trespass into my domain first, and now you seek to give me orders!?"**_ _Her nails dug deeper._ _ **"Arrogant child! You and your kind are parasites beneath my notice!"**_

 _Her other hand glowed with that familiar black energy. Somehow, amidst all the shadows, her power glowed the darkest._

 _What the hell was she?_

" _ **I will kill you all,"**_ _she promised darkly._ _ **"I will drag humanity kicking and screaming into the darkness, just as I have done with you."**_

 _Her hand stretched closer to his face. He tried everything in his power to break free, but it was no use. His body shook at the oncoming agony he was about to experience. This time there would be no escape._

 _But before she could touch him, a great ray of light suddenly pierced through the ceiling. Unlike the window from before, this light continued to expand, washing away the darkness. The once shadowy land was quickly being consumed by the light._

" _ **Well, well,"**_ _she murmured as she looked at the flood of light that was heading their way._ _ **"It seems our time together is over. Such a shame."**_ _She looked back at Jaune with a sinister smile on her face._ _ **"Time to wake up, Jaune. Let's meet again soon."**_

 _She released him and faded into nothing. Jaune dropped to the floor in a crumpled slump. He had just enough energy to cover his eyes as the wave of light washed over him._

[/]

When he awoke, he nearly threw himself off the bed from how violently he jerked forward. Cold sweat was dripping down his body, making his clothes stick to him like a second layer of skin. A dark imprint of himself was left behind on the mattress as he moved.

Looking around, he found himself lying on a bed in Beacon's medical wing. He recognized the entire layout of where he was resting, despite having never been there before. There was only one explanation for that, and the answer had his heartbeat racing again.

It was no dream. Everything that had happened was real.

He buried his face in his hands and moaned. There truly was no escaping from that woman, was there? She was already terrifying when he had first met her, but now that she was occupying his mind? He didn't know what she was going to do first; drive him insane or kill him.

Either way, she would never leave him alone.

Speaking of being alone, it seemed all his friends had long since left. He didn't know how long he had been out for, but it must have been a while if they were no longer standing around him. Indeed, he looked out the window and saw the evening sun dipping under the mountains, filling the room with a soft, amber light.

He then heard the sound of someone breathing gently. Looking to his right, he saw his partner sitting by his bedside and fast asleep. Her body was at an awkward angle as if she had been fighting desperately to stay awake.

"Pyrrha?" His voice was little more than a whisper.

At the sound of his voice, Pyrrha's eyes fluttered open drearily. Once she saw him awake though, her eyes widened as she rushed to his side.

"Jaune!" she gasped, pulling him into a fierce hug, despite the sweat that coated his body. "Oh, thank God, you're awake. We were all so worried about you."

Unlike the woman, Pyrrha's touch was warm and comforting. He felt his heart slowing down as he melted into her embrace. He pulled her in closer to savour this warm feeling, as her fingers came up to stroke his hair. He buried his face in her shoulder to feel more of her heat.

"Jaune, are you crying?"

When he pulled away, he had indeed left little drops of water on her shoulder. He rubbed his eyes and felt warm tears trickle down the tips of his fingers.

"I'm sorry," he muttered meekly.

"Don't apologise," she laughed in a broken voice. "I'm just happy you're alright. When you started screaming in Forever Fall, we all feared the worst. How are you feeling now?"

How was he feeling now? Battered, broken, defeated, he was feeling all those things. But if he had to choose one?

"Tired," he answered. "I'm so tired, Pyrrha."

She nodded with a small smile. "The nurse said you should get some rest. I can go fetch her and she can give you some-"

"No!" he nearly shouted, pulling away from her and crawling further down the bed. "I can't go to sleep. Please don't make me."

"But, Jaune, you need-"

" _She's waiting for me!"_

Jaune looked up at her, trembling like a madman with fear in his eyes. He felt his heart quicken again as his breath became heavy and frantic. He could _never_ sleep again. That's what she wanted. She wanted him to drop his guard, just so she could resume torturing him. He would never give her that satisfaction ever again.

Pyrrha didn't move a muscle. Instead, she remained where she was as she studied him calmly with her eyes. Her face was locked in a neutral expression, yet there was no hiding the worry she had in those emerald orbs of hers.

"What happened in Forever Fall, Jaune?" she said in deadly still voice. "Tell me the truth."

There was no point hiding it. He valued his life more than he did his secrets. He could worry about the consequences of his words later. "When I left on my own, I decided to do some experimenting with my semblance," he began. He tried to stop his voice from shaking as he spoke each word. "I tried reading the minds of the Grimm I fought."

And so he told her about his experience with the Alpha, the horrors he witnessed in its mind, as well as the trauma he had faced in his own. He even spoke of the woman. He almost didn't, but his partner deserved to know. Besides, she would be unable to hurt her outside of his mind. As far as he knew, Pyrrha was safe from that witch.

Pyrrha patiently listened to the whole tale, never once interrupting or stopping him. Her eyes never left his as he continued his story. It was only when he finished did she finally show any emotion. Her face was a mixture of worry and anger. Her fist shook as she clenched it tightly, showing the whiteness of her knuckles. She raised it to almost hit him but lowered it at the last minute.

"You tried reading the mind of a _Grimm!?_ " she hissed, angry tears streaming down her face. "Are you a _fucking_ idiot!?"

Jaune swallowed. That was the first time he had ever heard her swear. Unrelenting anger and foul language didn't suit her.

"I thought I could learn something," he sobbed. "I thought if I learned more about how they operate, we'd have a better chance of wiping them out."

"You're a fool, Jaune," she moaned. "You read the mind of a creature of pure evil. What did you think would happen?"

"Not this! I thought I'd just be learning about what they think about, what they feel. I was trying to help us!"

"You could have died!" she roared suddenly. "Your little experiment could have cost you your life, or worse. Doesn't that mean anything to you!?"

"I'm sorry," he wailed, pulling her into another tight hug. He didn't want her to be angry with him. Not her. "I'm so sorry," he murmured into her shoulder. "I'll never do it again, just please stop yelling at me. I'm sorry..."

After a short silence, Pyrrha returned the hug with more strength than him. She pulled away and gently wiped the tears off of his sniveling face. The smile on her face was warm but sad in nature.

"If you had died, you wouldn't have been the only one who would've lost everything," she said gently. "I would have lost my best friend in the entire world. Ren and Nora would have lost their beloved leader. Team RWBY would've been heartbroken, Ruby especially." She held his shoulder in a firm grip. "Don't ever do something like that again. If not for you, then for us."

He wouldn't! He would never do it again! He would never use his damn _semblance_ again. The look on his face gave Pyrrha all the confirmation she needed.

"One more thing," she said slowly. "This woman. Who is she?"

"I don't know," he groaned. "I don't even know her name. But she knows everything about me."

Anger quickly transformed Pyrrha's calm expression once again. "I'll speak to Ozpin about this," she growled. "He'll know what to do. Don't worry, we'll get that monster out of your head as soon as possible."

"She's waiting for me, Pyrrha," he whimpered. "She's everywhere and she wants to kill me." He wrapped his arms around his body defensively. "I don't know what to do…"

Pyrrha pulled him into her embrace again, gently rubbing his back as she held him. "You don't have to do anything Jaune. We'll take care of everything from here. I promise you, you'll never have to worry about her again."

He had gotten so used to cold flesh and harsh words, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel safe again. It almost didn't seem real…

"Pyrrha?"

"Hmm?"

"This is real, right?" He looked up at her with desperate hope. "You're not something she invented to trick me, are you? I want you to be real, but I can't tell anymore. Can you just please promise me that you're real? That you're never gonna hurt me? Just say it, please."

Pyrrha looked down at the shivering boy in her arms. Gone was the goofy blond leader who could make her laugh at a moment's notice. From the look of terror in his eyes to the way he spoke, Pyrrha could've been holding a complete stranger right now.

She kissed his forehead and brought him in close. She gently rubbed the back of his head with her fingers. "What has she done to you, Jaune?" she whispered to herself.

[/]

The moonlight shone through the windows of the medical wing. That and the little desk-lamp by his bed were the only sources of light in the room.

He tried surrounding himself with as much light as possible. He had always been a little scared of the dark, but recent events had him develop an intense fear of it. Even the smallest shadow looked threatening to him, like it was ready to snatch him up and drag him back to _her_.

Night had fallen in Vale, yet he remained wide awake in his bed in the medical wing. He couldn't allow himself to fall asleep. Even just blinking had him on edge, the way darkness enveloped his vision if only for a split second.

She was waiting for him. She wanted him to sleep so that she could drag him back into the darkness. He would never go back there again. He had to stay awake.

Oh, but God it was hard. His body was emotionally and physically drained after the whole ordeal. It was taking every bit of his willpower and fear just to keep his eyes open, but they still occasionally drooped every now and then. Sleep called to him, but he forced himself to ignore it.

God… she was too cruel…

Looking back, this had all started because of his semblance. The same semblance that he had practically worshipped the day he discovered it. He wished he could go back to those early days, where cheating in exams was the highlight of his power. His experience with _her_ had tainted all those happy memories.

He would never use his semblance again. Mind reading was completely unappealing to him now. Some places were better left alone.

He was alone in the room now. Pyrrha had left due to visiting hours being over, and he was the only patient in the wing. Even though he was able to stray away from the dark, he couldn't do anything about the silence that filled the room. He wished he could go back to his dorm room, but the doctors forced him to stay until they determined the root of the problem.

For his own safety, of course, as they told him.

He snapped out of his tired daze as he heard the doors to the medical wing open. The sound of heels clicking against the floor caught his attention. It was the first noise he had heard in a while.

Walking into view was a nurse he hadn't yet seen before. She had dark hair, creamy-white skin, and eyes that glowed with a beautiful shade of amber. The nurse's uniform she was wearing clung to her, showing off her flawless, curvy body.

She was absolutely stunning. Had he been of a healthier mindset, he probably would've been spellbound by her beauty.

"How are you feeling, Mr Arc?" the nurse asked. Even her voice was beautiful. The relaxing, silky-smooth sound wasn't helping his drowsiness.

"I… I didn't call for a nurse," he mumbled. As beautiful as she was, he had no idea why she was checking up on him at this late.

She giggled lightly at his confusion. "No, but I've been requested by your friends to regularly check up on you. You gave them all quite a scare today. I hope this isn't a problem. I wasn't interrupting your sleep, was I?"

He shook his head. "No, you're fine. I'm alright, I'm just… I'm so tired."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I would expect so. You've had a long and very hard day. Here, let me make you more comfortable."

She reached down to his body, but he sluggishly pulled himself away. "No, you don't understand," he mumbled in his groggy state. "If I sleep she'll find me. Please, I need to stay awake-"

He froze when the nurse placed her hands oh his face, tilting his head up to make eye-contact with her. And he thought Pyrrha's touch had been warming. Her hands were almost impossibly soothing. The heat they provided had him almost nuzzling within her palms.

"You have nothing to worry about," she said warmly. "You're perfectly safe here. Now, let me help you rest."

He knew he couldn't sleep, but everything about this nurse was so trusting. The warm, relaxing touch of her hands nearly had him dozing off right then and there. He was glad he had stayed awake long enough to experience this wonderful feeling.

He didn't have the energy to speak words anymore. He just nodded tiredly and let his eyes finally shut, focusing on the warmth his nurse was providing. He felt her gently lower his head back onto the pillows. His head welcomed their presence as it sank into them.

One of her hands gently left his face and placed itself onto his chest, sending a cozy surge of heat through his chest. A quiet sigh of pleasure left his mouth from her touch. Her other hand carefully removed one of his pillows from underneath his head, leaving him to rest with only one pillow.

He felt himself slowly slipping out of consciousness. He had been awake for far too long, seen far too much. He needed his sleep. He needed to forget everything, if only for a little while.

He opened his eyes once more to see the nurse still standing over his bed. His pillow was clutched tightly in her hands. She was looking intently at him, her once warm eyes locked in deep concentration. Her sudden change in mannerisms made him feel uncomfortable.

His nervousness is what probably accidentally activated his semblance.

For a moment, all he could hear was the odd sound of skittering within her, almost as if there was something else alive inside her. It sounded almost insect-like in nature.

And then he heard the voice that suddenly made his blood run cold.

" _ **Kill him, Cinder."**_

He barely had time to cry out as the nurse violently clamped the pillow over his face.

* * *

 **Happy Halloween.**


End file.
